NBA 2K gets ninja headbands, NBA reportedly bans them

[Andrew]

Source

I doubt they get removed from NBA 2K20, and there's probably a chance they policy gets changed back to allow them anyway, but the irony isn't lost on me.

[bluejaybrandon]

Don’t many of them literally sport a Nike swoosh on the front? How is that any different than a headband? This seems borderline offensive.

[Andrew]

I'll admit that I thought they looked a bit out of place in the NBA and more of a tennis thing, but they were obviously getting popular and it's not like they're not worn by other professional athletes, so it's somewhat of an overreaction. Then again, the NBA has historically been particular about these things, from compression tights to having your jersey number on a headband, so I suppose it's not surprising.

[bluejaybrandon]

I guess I just assumed something like this would be covered in the collective bargaining agreement. I can't imagine in the era of player empowerment that this would fly with the players. Adam Silver also seems much more lenient with player concerns than Stern was.

I'm not particular either way, but I'm hoping they reconsider. I understand needing some rules regarding dress code, especially when it affects potential sponsorships or sales (think JR's Supreme tattoo), but I think that's a slippery slope of banning an entire category of accessories. The NBA is rapidly growing in no small part to the unique, individual personalities of the game. Fans feel they can be closer to the players in ways the NFL is unable to market their athletes. When I think of Jrue Holiday, I think of what has now become his signature tied headband. I don't want to see players stripped of their individual expression.

[Andrew]

I'd assume there are provisions on the NBA's side of things that allow them to amend the dress code as new fashions arise.

It's possible there's also a safety issue at hand; a concern that the dangling parts of the knot could get caught in the net, or on another player, or another player could feasibly grab hold of it and yank an opponent's head back, and there's no give as with an elastic headband. We'll have to wait on an official announcement and even then, we'd have to consider the possibility the league isn't being completely forthright in its reasoning.

[Murat]

Someone wrote that banning them could be a marketing move, to cause an uproar so that NBA allows them back in the league. That way these ninja headbands could sell much more. Classic Nike, probably. Monetize the controversy

[Andrew]

The supposed New Coke Strategy? Suppose it's possible.